It's particularly burdensome, given that what's "broken" (being fixed?) in no way lessened the functionality of the classifieds; and, given the season, it's a part of SRP that is all the more vexing, in its absence. Well, the damage is done, but the resentment will linger on... particularly poor timing, and a stunningly bad decision.
Here's what you missed in your analysis - this site doesn't exist in a vacuum and the rest of the internet keeps changing. Things that have not been a problem in the past can suddenly become a serious issue when one of the big players changes one of their policies.